Everything You NEVER Wanted To Know About Batteries & Chargers...Again!

[Critterhunter]

I've posted this before but I've updated this long thread. This link will take you to the last page where most of the information is summarized and condensed for people, rather being spread through out that entire thread. The whole thing is still useful to read, though. Destroys a lot of myths about rechargables as well as how they work and the care and feeding of them. Also links to a great computerized charger that is dirt cheap at $25, having more features than chargers costing 5 times that amount...

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?21,1178409,page=7

 

[grumpyolman]

This is good reading material if you want the knowledge. CH has spent serious time and energy doing the hard work for us.

Just note that Hobby King is less expensive than most places, but they are in China. Sometimes you get the 'real' product because it was outsorced and you need to deal with the moral/ethical issue of that yourself. Other times you get the lower quality patent ignoring copy.

The Accucel 6, last selling for under $30, is a high quality charger that people who live for batteries, the RC folks, often have in their gear. There are copies being made and I don't know how you get the one with the quality components inside or get one with the components are not as solid. Somedays they are in stock and in an hour or so they are out of stock.

Anything from there comes from China and the last time I bought something from a China warehouse, it was $11.00 for shipping. Transit time is usually about a week but can be seriously longer. Saw on a RC forum that there is a flat rate shipping charge of $3.00 now. Don't know the accuracy of that. The bottom line for me is after you buy it, it's yours. Warranty, service, returns are a good deal harder when you are speaking with a person who is a native Chineese speaker and is trying very hard to communicate with you in English. For those of you who do not do the English thing I would find it really interesting if they have sales folks trained to speak both English and say, Spanish. If you look at the top of the home page, it will tell you what time it is in China so if you call, you aren't calling in the middle of their night and nobody is at work. jim

 

[Critterhunter]

Thanks, I enjoyed doing that thread.

The Accucel 6 so far as I know doesn't have copies being made of it. It's already dirt cheap at $25 or so from them with like $12 (slowest but less than a week from my experience) shipping. On their website this charger can be found at their US warehouse or overseas. I always used overseas from them as the American "version" is the same charger but they make up for the cheaper in US shipping by charging you more for the charger.

That being said, I think the Accucel 6 actually might be a "copy" of a more expensive charger that cost over $100. Just the same, just about everybody I've read about who have used this charger says it's very good and the accuracy of it is right on. Some complain the internal fan is a bit noisy but I've only found that to happen right at start up. The fan doesn't run unless it's charging or discharging something, and usually within about 5 to 10 seconds of it starting up it will quiet down. I just blow some air into it if I want it to shut up faster. I've put mine through heavy use over the last 3 years or so within any issues, but some have replaced the fan or at least taken it apart and greased it. I think somebody also once said that the fan has an initial rub against something inside and once they grinded that obstruction away some they had no more noise on start up.

Yes, warranty on a product from over seas often costs more to ship it back then the price of the product. I don't worry about that when buying inexpensive items from there. They often are so cheap that it's just better to buy another new one then send it back. Many products they sell in RC are junk, but just the same many things they sell are also very good in quality. The trick is researching on the web how others liked a product, and this charger is highly liked among the RC crowd.